B.C. municipalities feel ignored in the province’s pot plans, a therapy dog was mistaken for a wolf and shot, and B.C. students work and owe more than students in other provinces. Here are five things you need to know.

B.C. municipalities feel ignored on marijuana legalization

Marijuana legalization is coming to Canada, and even though Vancouver has already effectively legalized the drug, the province is still in the process of establishing some ground rules.

B.C. municipalities would like to be included in this process. They plan to debate next week how to press the provincial government to include them, Postmedia’s Nick Eagland reports.

The Union of B.C. Municipalities found that only seven per cent of members who responded to a survey it conducted last spring had been directly consulted by the federal government on the topic.

“We’re just kind of being ignored,” said White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin. “Which is too bad, because we’re the ones who are going to have to implement it.”

B.C. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth agrees that the municipalities need to be more involved.

“I want to make sure that they are consulted and that they are able to have their say,” he told Postmedia. “That, to me, is particularly important.”

64%, or almost two-thirds of B.C. post-secondary students worked while at school in 2015, compared to 59 per cent nationally, according to a survey called Earning While Learning by Vancity.

Caitlin McCutchen can attest to that. The Kwantlen University student is in year 5 of her degree. She works two jobs.

“It definitely tires you out,” said McCutchen, 29. “There’s definitely extra stress. It puts so much pressure on you” to meet rent and living expenses.

In 1985, university and college students worked an average of 14.1 hours a week nationally. In 2003, in B.C., it was 16.4 hours a week. By 2015, it had jumped to 19.3 hours, compared to 18 hours nationally.

And despite all that work, the study also showed B.C. students graduated with more debt than students in other provinces, averaging $30,856 in 2015.

Not everyone on board with bid for Amazon headquarters

Speaking of jobs, if Amazon sets up a second national headquarters in Vancouver, they’d bring several. That’s probably why Mayor Gregor Robertson seemed excited about the prospect. But not everyone at City Hall shares in his excitement, Postmedia’s Dan Fumano reports.

At Tuesday’s Vancouver city council meeting, Green coun. Adriane Carr questioned Robertson’s public support for an Amazon bid.

Carr told the mayor and council she had a series of questions, starting with: “Did I miss something?”

“This is a very, very major undertaking,” Carr said. “If I missed something, let me know. But how and when was council informed about this bid going forward?”

Robertson said he would respond in his role as chair of the Vancouver Economic Commission, which is charged with pursuing economic development and job creation opportunities, “so this fits completely within the scope of what the Vancouver Economic Commission does.”

Meanwhile, NPA coun George Affleck expressed skepticism about Vancouver’s chances with the bid, describing it as “a make-work project for the Vancouver Economic Commission.”

Fair point. Granted, it kind of seems like the point of luring a massive company like Amazon to Vancouver is to make work, but what do I know?

Therapy dog mistaken for wolf, shot by hunter

Vale Calderoni says she was on a hike with her four-year-old therapy dog Kaoru and ten other dogs when she heard a loud bang.

“I have no idea how he didn’t see it. I have no idea why he killed my dog,” Calderoni said. “I hike in that area with kids. I’m so lucky that I didn’t get shot … I don’t understand how this came to be.”

Read this: Women’s workplace advocacy group gets another male leader

And finally, today’s recommended read is Daphne Bramham’s recent column on women’s workplace advocacy group Catalyst Canada, which announced a new chairman late last week.

It’s a man again.

“Seriously?” Bramham writes. “For the second consecutive time, the group that aims to accelerate progress for women through workplace inclusion couldn’t find a woman to chair its own board of directors.”

Bramham acknowledges that the men tapped for the job are clearly competent. But, you know, it sort of defeats the purpose of the organization when men keep taking the top spot.

“Are they really the best people to lead a national organization that is supposed to be about women? Does it really further the cause when there’s still a man at the head of the table?” Bramham asks.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.